High school student tests positive for Covid

LYNDONVILLE – The school district will shift to remote learning for grades 9-12 on Monday after the district was notified today that a high school student tested positive for Covid-19.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to allow time for contact tracing, all 9-12 students will be on remote/at home learning for Monday,” District Superintendent Jason Smith said in a message to the community on the school website.

This is the first Lyndonville student to test positive for Covid this school year. Lyndonville has also had one staff member with a confirmed case of Covid.

The Holley and Kendall boys and girls soccer teams have all earned home games to open the Section V playoffs which begins this week.

The No. 4 seed Holley girls will host No. 13 Sodus in a Class C1 pre quarterfinal game at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The No. 3 seed Holley boys will host No. 6 Addison in a Class C1 quarterfinal contest at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The No. 7 seed Kendall girls will host No. 10 Caledonia-Mumford in a Class C2 pre quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The winner will visit No. 2 Byron-Bergen on Friday.

The No. 4 seed Kendall boys will host a Class C2 quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Wednesday’s opening  round contest between No. 12 Perry and No. 5 Pembroke.

In a Class B1 pre quarterfinal round girls contest No. 10 Lyndonville/Medina will visit No. 7 Wayne at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jeremy Bradenburg, left, and two of his skateboarding friends look over the design of a new skate park in medina during an open house on Saturday at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.

MEDINA – The Medina Skate Society presented the designs for a new skate park to the community on Saturday during an open house at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Construction on the new skate park is expected to start in the spring and be complete in the summer.

The Skate Society has secured a matching grant to upgrade the park with up to $250,000 from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Medina has $230,000 raised so far and has until Nov. 30, 2020 to see if it can fully maximize the grant.

The Tony Hawk Foundation, now known as the Skate Park Project, also has approved $50,000 towards the project.

The Medina Skate Society has approved the $550,000 design and build proposal from Spohn Ranch Skateparks in Los Angeles, California. The new skate park will replace one at Butts Park. It will be at the same location.

Vincent Onel, VP of Skatepark Development at Spohn Ranch, designed the Medina skate park and discussed the project through video conferencing on Saturday at Lee-Whedon.

The park includes areas and features for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

Some of the features include:

• 2.5-foot to 4-foot quarter pipes lining the southern edge of the park.
• A 2.5-foot mini-ramp/beginner bowl section that waterfalls down to a 4-foot section along the north eastern edge.
• A fun box with a hip and an inventive street sized curb (for doing slappys).
• There are hubbas (grind ledges) and grind rails for beginner, intermediate and advanced skaters and riders.
• The intermediate kidney shaped bowl begins at 5 feet and waterfalls down to 7 feet.
• When entering the park from the walkway stretching from the main parking lot past the pavilion/seating area, there is 9-inch manual pad with a 20-inch ledge that will also bare the name of The Luke Nelson Skate Park, said Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society.
• The most prominent feature facing south Main Street is a functional art installation (steep slant) standing approximately 9 feet tall and 24 feet wide, Feig said. “This is where our sponsors will be displayed so it’s the first thing visitors see when they pull into the Butts Park.”

The skate park will be named for Luke Nelson, whose family has helped with many fundraisers and provided an inspiration on the project.

The park will be named for Luke Nelson, a skateboarder from Middleport who often used the park. He was 23 when he passed away on April 22, 2017. His family has donated to the park and helped organize the fundraisers to upgrade the site.

Jeremy Brandenburg, 26, of Medina was among the community members who attended the open house. He said the new park will be a big attraction for skaters.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Brandenburg said. “It’s definitely got a little bit of everything.”

Village Trustee Owen Toale thanked Feig and the Skate Society for doing the fundraising, securing the grants and pushing the project forward.

Toale was pleased to see one of the features mimics the Canal Culvert. Feig suggested that and Onel included it into the design.

“It’s obviously an iconic structure in the area,” Toale said about the Canal Culvert. “To incorporate it is brilliant.”

Chris Goyette discusses the Medina Skate Park with Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, which has spearheaded the $550,000 project.

The new public concrete skate park will have a smooth surface and new equipment for skaters, bikers, scooters and in-line skaters. The park will also be an architectural work of art, Feig said.

For more information on the Skate Park and the Medina Skate Society, click here. Donations can be made directly to the Medina Skate Society. Larger tax-deductible donations should be made out to the Orleans Renaissance Group Inc. PO Box 543 Medina, New York 14103 specifying in the subject line “Skate Park Project.”

First from WNY to receive DeMolay of the Year since 2006

MEDINA – Medina High School senior Aedan C. Bunch recently received an award from NYS Masons for his achievements in DeMolay. The DeMolay is a nationwide  program sponsored by Masons to guide young men of all backgrounds toward good citizenship, community service, and personal responsibility.

The last time a young man from Western New York received this honor was in 2006. The award, known as the Order of the Tribune, was conferred in a ceremony by leaders from each York Rite Masonic Body and the Grand Master of Masons in New York, William M. Sardone. The award includes an emblematic medal and a knightly sword of honor.

Aedan Bunch is pictured in his DeMolay regalia. This award also includes a knightly sword and medal.

Aedan also received other DeMolay awards, including the ”Representative DeMolay Award” for leadership, and a “Distinguished Service Award” for his efforts in helping his peers during the pandemic.

Each DeMolay Chapter nominates a young man by submitting a recommendation to The New York Grand Chapter of the State of New York, Royal Arch Masons through the offices of the Grand Chapter Masonic Youth Committee who coordinates and presents the award each year under the control of the New York DeMolay Executive Officer.

To be considered for this award the candidate can not be a current or past State Master Councilor or Deputy State Master Councilor and he must clearly demonstrate that he lives by the virtues taught in DeMolay through demonstrated outstanding service to his Chapter, to DeMolay, to his community, his faith community, and to his school. Above all these virtues a candidate for this award should be an example and mentor to his peers, in his DeMolay Chapter and the community.

Aedan, a son of Steven and Ann Webster Bunch of Medina, represents the virtues and tenants of Order of York Rite Tribune through his unyielding kindness and unyielding quiet strength of character. Aedan set an example through his extreme ownership to challenges he faced. It is through this discipline, commitment, and hard work he shows his peers and community what commitment looks like.

Currently Aedan competes for Medina on the varsity cross country team. He attends The Norman Howard School in Rochester, New York through a placement from the Medina Central School District.

He has been recognized by his school as an example by scoring a school all time high score for the Pacer Test. In addition to his school, Aedan was selected by the leadership of Camp Talisman, North Carolina, to attend a session as mentor and planner tasked with helping those campers leaving home for the first time as well as planning and leading activities for an entire day.

He has been selected to return to Camp Talisman this coming summer as a member of Crew where he will be part of team assigned to lead and mentor a group of youth in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This year’s Order of York Tribune was preceded by an awards ceremony for awards for merit and achievement. Aedan received numerous awards for merit so much that he was awards a “three-bar” hanger for his achievement pennants. He was also awarded with the Representative DeMolay Award which is a merit award earned through a reflective process where a young man provides examples of how he is improving his character, challenging himself, achieving his goals, and leading by example.

Aedan also receive a Distinguished Service Award for his efforts in helping his peers during the pandemic whereby he organized “Operation Cookie Drop” sending a few homemade cookies through the mail during the shutdown.

Aedan also was installed as the Lakes Region Master Councilor for New York DeMolay by the Grand Master of DeMolay International and the New DeMolay Executive Officer, Peter Brusoe.

MEDINA – Boxwood Cemetery will again be the site of the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony, a program started at the cemetery in 2015 by Kathy Blackburn.

The first year, there were 15 wreaths placed at Boxwood on graves in the veterans’ section at the front of Boxwood Cemetery. Last year, Blackburn and other volunteers placed more than 100.

They have had support from the American Legion, VFW, Junior Wilson Club and Sacred Heart Society, and are looking for a corporate sponsor this year. Ideally, Blackburn would like to see a local company step up to sponsor the program and have its employees volunteer to help. Last year local Girl Scouts volunteered and this year both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts from Troop 28 will volunteer.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, left, greets Dave Barhite of Lyndonville prior to last year’s Wreaths Across America ceremony at Boxwood Cemetery in Medina. Kathy Blackburn, right, started the program and is looking for donations for wreaths this year.

“We appreciate the Scouts volunteering, and are excited to have them helping again this year,” Blackburn said.

The deadline for donations is Nov. 30, and anyone may send a check for $15 to Village of Medina, marked for “Wreaths Across America,” 119 Park Ave., Medina NY 14103. Donors may specify if they want their wreath placed on a certain grave.

Volunteers are also needed to place the wreaths during the ceremony Dec. 19. They may contact Blackburn at kblackbu@rochester.rr.com, and should arrive at Boxwood Cemetery at 11:45 a.m. The ceremony will begin at noon.

“This is a great program,” Blackburn said. “I am happy to be involved, because my father and uncles all served in World War II.”

Wreaths Across America was started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, who found his company with an abundance of wreaths near the end of the holiday season. Worcester had visited Washington, D.C. as a 12-year-old and seeing Arlington National Cemetery made a lifelong impression on him.

The experience followed him throughout his life, reminding him his good fortune was due in part to the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

So Worcester contacted his local senator and arrangements were made for wreaths to be placed on graves at an older section of Arlington, which had been receiving fewer visitors each year.

As Worcester made plans to donate wreaths for those graves, other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. A local trucking company offered to provide the transportation to Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW posts, along with members of Worcester’s community, gathered to decorate each wreath with red bows. Members of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C. helped organize the wreath-laying, which included a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The annual tribute went on quietly until 2005, when a photo of stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the project received national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to help with Arlington, to emulate the Arlington project at their national and state cemeteries or to simply share their stories and thank Worcester for honoring our nation’s heroes.

Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Worcester began sending seven wreaths to every state, one for each branch of the military and for POW/MIAs. In 2006, with help from the Civil Air Patrol and other civic organizations, simultaneous wreath-laying ceremonies were held at more than 150 locations around the country. The Patriot Guard Riders volunteered as escort for the wreaths going to Arlington, which began the annual “Veterans Honor Parade” that travels the east coast early each December.

Groups of volunteers eager to participate in the wreath-laying event grew each year, and according to Worcester’s website, it became clear the desire to remember and honor the country’s fallen heroes was bigger than Arlington, and bigger than this one company.

In 2007, the Worcester family, with help from veterans and other groups and individuals, formed Wreaths Across America. The next year more than 300 locations had wreath-laying ceremonies in every state, Puerto Rico and 24 overseas cemeteries. And that year, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted Dec. 13 as “Wreaths Across America Day.”

From more than 100,000 wreaths in 2008, volunteers laid more than 700,000 memorial wreaths in 2014 at 1,000 locations, including Pearl Harbor, Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and the site of the World Trade Center tragedy of Sept. 11. The goal of covering Arlington National Cemetery was met in 2014 with the placement of 226,525 wreaths.

Blackburn first heard about Wreaths Across American when Medina resident Shirley Whittleton suggested it at a meeting of the Boxwood Cemetery Association, of which Blackburn is president.

“I looked into it and decided it wouldn’t be that difficult to do,” Blackburn said.

Humbled to accept a veteran’s green wool coat

Have you ever admired something and then it was gifted to you? That is the story behind this green wool service coat.

A while ago, while browsing at Fairhaven Treasures, I was drawn to this wool coat that was hanging in one of the upstairs rooms. It had history, you could just tell.

Here is the coat’s story and the veteran who wrapped himself in it, in duty to his country – The United States of America. The gentleman who wore this coat was a Corporal in the Marine Corps. He was an infantryman. A weapons expert. A M-60 machine gun was his main weapon. He served two tours in Vietnam during 1964-1966, with a 30-day leave home in between.

His time in Vietnam found him often in the jungle and in combat. Like most veterans of the day, his wife says she does not know much of his time in combat. Those that serve during War-time keep their stories close to their hearts and those stories will further shape their minds for the rest of their lives.

So imagine my surprise when his wife came to me one day and said her husband asked her to gift it to me. Yep, goosebumps and tear in the eye. What struck me is when I put this heavy green wool coat on with its green buttons adorned with the Marine Seal of the Eagle, The World and The Anchor, it was quite heavy and yet small.

It nearly fit like a glove and I am only 5’2 and 125 pounds. It was profound because it makes one realize how young those that serve our country often are. The person that wore this in his youth must have been of small stature as many young soldiers are.

This coat gave comfort to a soldier when he needed comfort. Nobody truly knows the story behind the soldier who wears the coat. Only the soldier knows. He honored me with this because I gave his dog a home when he could no longer care for him and he knew I had admired the coat.

I do not know this gentleman personally, but was told he was so grateful we took his dog and gave him love. Well if he reads this, I hope he knows how grateful America is that he stood strong for us. Without veterans like him America would not be “The Land Of The Free.” Never take for granted our Armed Forces.

Without their courage, sacrifice and determination we would have no national security.  November 11th is an American National Holiday that celebrates all our military veterans who serve with honor for our protection. Most people have someone in their family who has served in the military.

How inspiring to think a person would put aside their own safety and freedoms for honor and duty to the American people. Because if you think about it, while a soldier serves they are at the mercy of the American people. Their civilian freedoms are put aside to protect your freedoms. Never forget that or take that for granted. Thank you to all veterans and their families who sacrifice, this November 11th and always.

See my special honor and share who you honor, visit my blog live online at https://www.positiveperksposts.com and catch up on Weekly Photo Perks and past Sunday Posts. Like and share your comments.

Truly,
Debbie London

Limited visitation to continue for specific groups

Press Release, Rochester Regional Health

BATAVIA – Due to the rapidly increasing prevalence of Covid-19 in the Finger Lakes Region, Rochester Regional Health will suspend general visitation at all hospitals effective Sunday, November 8 at 7 p.m.

This includes Rochester General Hospital, Unity Hospital in Greece, Unied Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, and Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic in Clifton Springs, Ontario County. Newark-Wayne Community Hospital in Newark, Wayne County suspended visitation last week.

Limited visitation will be allowed in the following cases:

• Pediatric patients may have one support person on-site at a time. Two support people can alternate visitation.
• Obstetrical patients may have one on-site support person and a doula.
• Patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and cognitive impairments, including dementia or who have conditions protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, may have a support person who is medically necessary for their care.
• Visitation at end of life.

In the above cases, visitation will only be allowed under the following conditions:

• Visitors/support people will have their temperature checked before entering the hospital and then again every 12 hours while in a clinical area.
• If a visitor/support person has a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or more) or displays symptoms, they are not allowed into the hospital.

‘The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.’ – President-Elect Joe Biden

Photo from Joe Biden campaign: Former Vice President Joe Biden has been declared the winner in the 2020 presidential election after winning Pennsylvania’s 20 eelctoral votes. That pushed him from 253 to 273, past the 270 needed to be president.

Americans had to wait four days after the election, but a winner has been announced today: Former Vice President Joe Biden.

The Associated Press and other major news organizations declared Biden the winner after more votes came in from Pennsylvania this morning, securing the state’s 20 electoral votes, pushing him past the 270 needed to win the election.

Biden now has 273 and could pick up more. He has small leads in Georgia (16 electoral votes), Arizona (11 electoral votes), and Nevada (6 electoral votes).

“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden said in a statement. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”

Biden was trailing in Pennsylvania after the in-person votes were counted on Tuesday. But absentee ballots and mail-in votes allowed him to overtake President Donald Trump. The AP and other news organizations projected Trump wouldn’t overtake Biden’s 34,414 advantage with 2 percent of the vote still to be counted in Pennsylvania.

Trump has vowed to challenge the results in court. He has claimed election fraud and illegal voting.

Andrew Cuomo, New York governor, issued a statement congratulating Biden on the victory.

“This is a historic day,” Cuomo said. “After the darkness, division and hate of the past four years, America has spoken and rejected more of the same. Congratulations to my good friend President-Elect Joe Biden and to Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. Today we go forward in hope and progress.”

Biden had strong support in New York State, getting about 60 percent of the vote to win New York’s 29 electoral votes. However, Trump dominated in rural areas of the state, including Orleans County, where he received 71.4 percent of the vote. Joe Biden received 26.1 percent of the votes for president in Orleans County.

Provided photo: Members of Medina’s Tree Board and village officials planted a tree in State Street Park on Thursday morning, in honor of Arbor Day. From left are Tree Board member Jake Hebdon, Medina trustee and Tree Board/village liaison Marguerite Sherman, Tree Board member Nick Mroz, Tree Board Chairwoman Kathy Blackburn, Medina Mayor Mike Sidari and Tree Board member Bob Sanderson.

MEDINA – Arbor Day began in 1872 when J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees.

Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated in April, but because of Covid-19, the day was postponed this year to Nov. 5.

Usually, a celebration of Arbor Day takes place with school children in Medina, but again, the pandemic forced the village to change those plans.

On Thursday, village officials and members of the Tree Board gathered to plant a tree in State Street Park, near the bandstand.

“Medina is designated as a Tree City USA, and with our continued plan to assess and replace trees within the village, we will continue to build a better urban development,” said Kathy Blackburn, the Tree Board chairwoman.

As a Tree City USA, a city or village has the duty to evaluate trees which should come down, decide where new trees will be planted and choose the species.

Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. Trees can reduce the erosion of soil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife.

The Arbor Day Foundation is one of the world’s largest nonprofit conservation organizations dedicated to planting trees. The Foundation plants and distributes more than 10 million trees each year. More than 3,300 communities, such as Medina, are recognized through the Tree City USA program for planting and nurturing trees.

Members of Medina’s Tree Board, with Blackburn, are Jake Hebdon, Nick Mroz and Bob Sanderson. Marguerite Sherman, village trustee, is a tree board/village liaison.

Blackburn added volunteers for the Tree Board are always welcome.

Local group didn’t like sentimental name of ‘Honeymoon Trail’

By Adrienne Kirby, Gaines Town Historian

This photo was taken at the corner of Ridge Road and Rt. 279, or Gaines Road, looking south. At this point, the Ridge was paved, since the curb is just visible at the bottom of the photo. Folks traveling to Albion still had to travel a dirt road.

GAINES – With the rise of the automobile in the 1920’s, roads throughout Western New York were slowly improved. Ridge Road was first paved through Gaines in 1926.

On Aug. 26, Gaines held a Booster Day celebration with a parade to commemorate the completion of the improvements made to its geographical main artery. Paving the road brought about significant business opportunities, which were seized upon almost immediately.

Less than a year later, in June of 1927, the Medina Daily Journal published a rather bemused editorial reporting signs painted on telephone or telegraph poles of “two bleeding hearts pierced by an arrow which is supposed to designate ‘Honeymoon Trail.’”

The origin of the signs was a mystery at the time of publication. Though Ridge Road does end at Niagara Falls, often called the Honeymoon Capital of the World, the editors at the Journal were not impressed and suggested “Ground Hog Road” or “Green Frog Trail” as alternate titles.  They concluded “The Old Ridge Road” would be a more respectable name.

The D.A.R. was in full agreement, and used everything in their arsenal to prevent such a “sentimental title” from taking root in the public mind. Just a month later, as reported by the Journal, the Orleans Chapter of the D.A.R. were “up in arms” over the proposed change of name and passed a resolution expressing their disapproval.

The committee responsible for drafting resolutions to preserve the historic nature of Ridge Road was chaired by Katherine Rowley, Orleans County’s first historian and a citizen of Gaines. They proposed that the new name was “insignificant and unworthy”, that “the majority of citizen[s’] … sense of propriety has been violated by such change of name,” and that “the name of ‘The Ridge Road’ should endure forever…”

By April 1928, the D.A.R. was fully mobilized and the Orleans Chapter had proposed working with the Monroe and Irondequoit Chapters to place “neat blue and white markers which are to carry the title ‘The Historic Ridge Road, established in 1798.’” They were to be 14 inches in diameter and placed every five miles through Orleans and Monroe counties. In addition, plans were being made to involve the State Historical Monuments Society in the “movement.”

The proposals were successfully implemented. Between 1930 and 1935, the D.A.R. placed five markers in Gaines, along with others in the towns of Ridgeway and Murray, thanks to legislation New York State passed in 1923 anticipating the sesquicentennial of the American Revolution in 1926. The Department of Education was to work with local groups to erect “markers to designate sites that are of historic significance in the colonial, revolutionary or state formative period…” among other efforts to commemorate the national celebration.

Curiously enough, the Orleans Chapter has no records of putting up “The Historic Ridge Road” markers, and yet a sign which closely matches the description in the newspaper stands next to the Village Inn at Childs.

The above photo shows Katherine Rowley on the far left on the day of the dedication of the marker, on Oct. 12, 1935. This is most likely the last known photo of her, as she passed away three days later. Next to Miss Rowley is Barbara Balcom, and the girl holding the flag is Elda Barnum, both great great grand nieces of John Proctor. The woman wearing gloves is Grace Bliss, then Regent of the Orleans Chapter, D.A.R.  The observant local reader will notice that in the photograph of the marker, the west side of the Proctor House is visible, and yet today, the marker is on the east side of the property. About fifteen years ago, the marker was moved in order to make it more visible to the public, as it was somewhat hidden by the hedgerow and low branches of the large black maple which sits in the northwest corner of the yard.

The program for the dedication of the Proctor Marker, printed on a patriotic-looking red, white and blue mottled paper.

This photo was taken on May 22, 1983 for the dedication of the historic marker at the Village Inn as part of the kick-off for the Gaines Jubilee, celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Town of Gaines. Pictured from left to right are Ernest Leonardi, Masonic Grand Master of New York; Charles Aldrich, Niagara Orleans District Masonic Deputy Grand Master; Ronald Radzinski, Gaines Supervisor; C.W. Lattin, Curator of Cobblestone Museum; William Tillman, Proprietor of the Village Inn; and R. Stephen Hawley, New York State Assemblyman.       

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fisherman is pictured in the Oak Orchard River in October 2014.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that New York residents and non-residents can fish for free without a license on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.

New York’s Free Fishing Days encourage more people to get outdoors and enjoy the state’s world-class fishing opportunities. Legislation signed by the Governor in 2015 allowed an increase in the number of authorized statewide Free Fishing Days. Every year since, Veterans Day has been designated as a Free Fishing Day.

“The Veterans Day Free Fishing Day is just one way to acknowledge the contributions of our veterans while offering the opportunity to enjoy some of the best fishing spots in the nation, right here in the Empire State,” Governor Cuomo said. “I encourage everyone from expert anglers to beginners to take advantage of this Free Fishing Day and enjoy everything New York has to offer.”

The Free Fishing Days program is administered by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as part of Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative. The free fishing days program began in 1991, to give people who might not fish a chance to try the sport at no cost, introduce people to a new hobby, and encourage people to support the sport by purchasing a New York State fishing license.

Free Fishing Day participants are reminded that although the requirement for a fishing license is waived during free fishing days, all other fishing regulations remain in effect.

New York State continues to encourage people to engage in responsible recreation during the State’s ongoing response to Covid-19. This fall, anglers should be mindful in taking precautions to stop the spread of Covid-19 while enjoying the outstanding fishing opportunities throughout the state.

New cases include a student at Albion and one at Elba

Orleans County has 7 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 421 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases are residents in Albion, Barre, Carlton, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s.

One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, said the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Due to the new “test-out” option and the discrepancies in reporting domestic

Travel, the Health Departments will currently not be reporting precautionary quarantine data.

In Orleans, one person remains hospitalized due to Covid, and one more person has recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

• The Health Department has been notified of a positive student at Albion Elementary School. The student was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, therefore no school impact, the Health Departments said.

The individual is on mandatory isolation until recovered. Contact tracing is in process for those who are considered close contacts and will be placed on mandatory quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the positive individual.

In Genesee County there are 11 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 422 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Byron, Elba, LeRoy,

Pembroke and Stafford. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 50s and 60s.

None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Departments reported this afternoon.

Two residents of Genesee are hospitalized due to Covid.

• The Health Department has been notified of a positive student at the Elba Elementary School. The student was not in school two days prior to testing positive, therefore no school impact, the Health Departments said.

The individuals is on mandatory isolation until recovered. Contact tracing is in process for those who are considered close contacts and will be placed on mandatory quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the positive individual.

• 3-county database: To see an online database of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here. There are currently 107 active cases in the three counties, with 54 in Genesee, 25 in Orleans and 28 in Wyoming.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

Flu Tracking: For the 2020-2021 Flu Season we will provide data on Fridays on the current influenza activity. To check the data, click here.

For the current week ending date Oct. 31, Genesee and Orleans both have no cases. There are 88 cases statewide. This is up 42% from previous week.

Cases statewide for the season to date: 282. This data is influenza that is confirmed by laboratory testing. Not everyone seeks testing for confirmation of the flu.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Firefighters check to make sure a fire is out at 14050 Route 31 in Albion. A resident set furniture and some belongings on fire outside of the house, and the flames spread to the side of the residence, a state trooper said at the scene.

Firefighters were called to the scene at about 3:30 with Albion, Barre, Carlton and Medina all responding.

The fire caused a section of Route 31, from King Street to State School Road, to be closed to traffic.

The state trooper on the scene said a resident would be facing charges for starting the fire. No other information is available.

The fire caused significant damage to the side of the house.

Community members give job interviews through Zoom

Provided photos: Waylon Peet, a Kendall student, is interviewed through Zoom by Jason Hardenbrook about a career in operating heavy equipment.

KENDALL – High school seniors at Kendall today were interviewed by community members in the annual senior interview day. Normally the interviews are face-to-face at the school, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the district to try a different format.

Kendall opted to do the interviews through Zoom video conferencing. The interviews were 20-30 meetings and are intended to help prepare students for a job or college interview.

Eric Woodams, a Kendall senior, is interviewed by Jeff Conte, an electrician.

The 49 students were given feedback on attitude, poise, voice, eye contact, pacing and ability to answer questions.

Students submitted resumes and cover letters.

“We are attempting to prepare out students to be self-directed learners, responsible citizens and educated employees,” High School Principal Carol D’Agostino wrote in a letter to the community members who interviewed students.

Lauren Miller is interviewed by Tom Rivers, the Orleans Hub editor.

Ethan Kuhn, a  Kendall senior, uses Zoom to be interviewed by Kelly Peterson (Professor of Criminal Investigation at SUNY Canton).

Kari Harrier, a Kendall student, answers questions from Brandi Kurzowski about a possible career as a veterinary technician.